Once, when I was a child, I licked the end of a tv antenna while it was on. I don’t know why I did it, but I did. To this day I remember the way it tasted, the metallic bite on the back of the tongue, the acrid aftertaste.

Radiation was like that. Acrid, metallic, exhausting.

33 treatments cooked my underarm and the last bit of energy I possessed.

But, I’m done with it.

D. O. N. E.

Finished the cooking process the last week in June and then WHOA the summer taxied down the runway…

Woot.

One year ago next week I was diagnosed.  And about three months ago, my hair started growing back …this is my first week topless..

I take a drug through the port in my chest (so sexy, I know) called Herceptin every 3 weeks until December. Unless I don’t. It’s hard on the ticker, and my ticker has taken some serious hits the last 9 months so we’re keeping an eye on it. The ejection fraction ain’t what it used to be.  (That just sounds nasty doesn’t it?)

Oh, and I’ll be on an estrogen blocking pill for at least 5 years (if I live that long) and possibly longer. HELLOooo hot flashes.   And it makes it much more difficult to keep hard abs.  But this is where they are right now.  That’s right, I’m posting it for posterity!

Maybe I’ll have the energy to get them harder again in the future. Right now, I’m happy to just finish my workout everyday.  Considering all of the women I started treatment with gained an average of 25-35 pounds (those steroids are wicked wicked things!) I’m content I didn’t gain an ounce! WOO HOO!!

I won’t lie though.  It was mucho hard.  I monitored every single bite, forced myself to eat through the sickness (so I wouldn’t lose lean muscle) and forced myself to STOP eating too much while on steroids.  It gave me a goal though, other than ya know, the survival thing.  heh

But I am pooped.  Tired.  Tuckered out.

Can’t decide if the year is catching up with me, or perhaps it was just the fact we’ve been going non-stop since radiation ended.

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Onto the life stuff…

I spent the first 15 years of my life in Ohio.  I have history here.  And as with any history there is a her-story.  I won’t go back into all the details, I’ve blogged about it here before.  But since returning, I’ve been able to re-connect with some of the people from my childhood and teenage years.  People I thought lost to me forever.  Say what you will about Facebook being anti-privacy, blah, blah, blah.  But it certainly was instrumental in reuniting me with some truly amazing people. 

I attended a high school class reunion.  Two in fact.  Since I went to 5 high schools total (long story), I attended my first and last HS reunions.  This was the big 25 year get together and the pictures just don’t do the experience justice!  I will probably post them later….depends how much time I get.

Between the two reunions, I took a much needed week away with my husband to Dallas.  He went for a meeting, I tagged along and we really had a good time.  The picture of me with the really short hair was taken downtown Dallas.

We also took the boys for a week to San Diego, California.  Our youngest loves Legos, so we scheduled plenty of time at Legoland, the Legoland Sealife exhibit, as well as Legoland water park.  (If I never see Legoland again, I’m good with that.)  We also spent mucho time on the beach and poolside, so my teenager found the family vacation “not too bad.”  (Barring the bad sunburn which required him to stay in the hotel room for two days!)

Again, I have pics, you wouldn’t believe all the stuff they make out of Legos!  Most will have to wait for another blog, it’s all I can do (time wise) to get a few pics and words committed to this post.  This is me and my man with a Lego Darth Vader.  How cool is that?

What?  I was trying to save him!  lol

That’s all for now…..my youngest is home from school and that means two hours of homework.

Perhaps we can work on diminishing the ejection fraction of that particular activity!!  He’s only in third grade!!